2:20 AM
by subtleglitch
Summary: Takes place during 'Shadowboxing'. How does Gretchen fall asleep that night, after narrowly escaping her own death? Claire/Gretchen


**2:20AM  
**by Deadwinglullaby

It felt like a warm summer night, for the first time in ages and Gretchen was finding it a lot harder than normal, to fall asleep. She had just awoken from a horrible nightmare, consisting of none other than Becky Taylor, attempting to murder her once more.  
With an agitated groan, she kicked off her quilt and sat up, glancing directly opposite her, to make sure she hadn't woken Claire.

The petite blonde was still fast asleep, completely unaware of Gretchen's inability to sleep—she waited a moment, and then hopped out of bed, her bare feet hitting the floorboards quietly.  
She needed some fresh air, and although the students weren't encouraged for midnight strolls, she did not care to heed their rules right now. She knelt down and reached under her bed to grab a pair of sneakers, and slipped them on absentmindedly.

She headed down the hall in silence, and made her way down the stairwell, which would ultimately lead her outside. Gretchen glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one had seen her—so far so good.  
She crept slowly around the dark corridors of Arlington University, not wanting to be spotted by any security guards, or any other stray students who might have decided to wander around aimlessly at two in the morning.

Up just ahead was the door to her freedom outside. She took a deep breath and placed her hands on the brass door handle, it felt cool initially, but within a few seconds felt slippery—her hands becoming clammy, as she started to experience a knot in her stomach.

'_Just nerves Gretch, you can do this_,' she tried inspiring confidence in herself.

She turned the handle, and was not surprised to find it was locked, and refused to give a click of approval.

"Shit!" she cussed under her breath, and rested her forehead upon the door in defeat. It looked like she wasn't going to get that taste of freedom this morning.

"What do you think you're doing Miss Berg?" A familiar voice sounded from behind Gretchen, and caused the girl to jump and let out a shrill squeak.

"C-Claire? What are you doing here? You scared me!" Gretchen's voice was beginning to rise, feeling completely caught off guard. She took a slight step forward to get a better look at Claire's face, only to notice her smiling, obviously pleased with herself, for startling her.

Claire stood before Gretchen now, in her track pants and white tank top, looking slightly bewildered as to why Gretchen had snuck out of their dormitory.

"So…you gonna tell me why _we're_ out here at," she pulled out her phone and looked at the time, "two-twenty AM?"

"You mean why _I'm_ out here. I have no idea why _you're_ out here…" Gretchen corrected Claire. "I felt like going for a walk, I couldn't sleep. Why are you here? You looked like you were fast asleep before I left."

"I was…but I thought I heard you get up, and noticed your bed was empty, so I was concerned and made my way downstairs, so here I am," she glanced behind her briefly and then focused her attention back on Gretchen. "You know, if we get caught, we could get in a lot of trouble."

"Yeah I know…but we're up now, and I want to go outside. You got any ideas?" Gretchen pulled at the doorknob again, to demonstrate her dilemma.

Claire raised an eyebrow at her, and then looked the door up and down for a moment. "Gretch, you do realise this is that door that Olivia and Ashley were talking about, first week we got here, right?"

"…No? What about this door?" She questioned her, intrigued with what she had to say.

"They said a bunch of second year's told them if they ever wanted to leave the grounds after hours, to use the old door at the front. Apparently all it needs is a good kick and shove when you turn the knob."

"Is that so? Well c'mon then, give me a hand and let's go for a walk," she grabbed Claire's hand and motioned her forward to help her.

The two girls worked together, Gretchen pulling at the handle, while Claire pushed the door inwardly, and in unison, they gave the door a solid kick, and they were pleased to see the door open.

Claire made sure that the door would remain unlocked, as Gretchen ventured outside, and waited for the blonde to close the door behind her. "We should be able to get back inside with no problems now," she grinned, and then noticed they were really outside. Her eyes lit up with excitement, "the stars are out tonight…"

Gretchen followed Claire's gaze, and she realised how truly happy she felt right now. Being with Claire right now, she couldn't ask for anything better.

"Not to ruin the mood…but we should probably venture away from the building, if we want to remain undetected," she noticed Claire had stopped staring at the sky some time ago, and was instead staring right into her eyes.

"Right let's go then!" she chuckled, and followed Gretchen's lead.

--

Arlington University was quite the sight at such an early time in the morning-the grounds were slightly illuminated by the lampposts scattered around the courtyard, making shadows from the nearby trees dance across the buildings.

Gretchen and Claire had been wandering about for the last half hour, making idle chitchat here and there, but not nearly as avidly as they usually were in everyday conversation.  
Examining Claire's body language, Gretchen suspected something may be bothering her, and she could no longer take the unexpected silences between them.

"Claire, do you mind if we sit now?" she pointed to the patch of lawn nearby, which also adorned a beautiful fountain.  
Claire nodded with approval, and followed close behind Gretchen, who took a seat on the lawn and laid back, arms propped behind her head.

Claire also took a seat besides Gretchen, and followed suit, gazing up at the night sky. "It really is a nice night out, isn't it?" she turned to face Gretchen, looking for a sign of agreement.

Gretchen nodded solemnly, and swallowed hard. Her mouth suddenly felt rather dry, and the butterflies seemed to have returned in her stomach. Even if Claire was somewhat tired, she still managed to look as beautiful as she would any other time of the day.

"So what is all _this_ about, anyway?" Claire questioned, now leaning against her elbow, giving Gretchen a pressing look. "I mean, I sometimes have trouble sleeping myself, but I've never had the intent of wandering off to be alone."

Gretchen let out a sigh of frustration, and closed her eyes for a few seconds. They had been dancing around so many questions lately, that Gretchen was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed.  
It certainly didn't help that Becky Taylor had tried taking her life less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Claire…I feel scared and confused right now, I don't know what to do with any of this," she blurted out, avoiding eye contact as best as she could, by playing with a lock of her hair.

"Oh Gretch, I'm so sorry you had to experience that," she paused to place a comforting hand on Gretchen's shoulder, "I can't even bear thinking about losing you, if anything had happened I don't know what I'd do with myself…"

She had never seen Claire look so haunted before, but she knew her words were heartfelt, and it pained Gretchen to see the girl in despair.

"We are so different, I don't know if I can ever fully comprehend the world you've come from. My life has always been so quiet, so—"

"—Normal? You have no idea how much I envy your life, what I would give to lead a normal life. Too many people I love and care for end up getting hurt, and I don't want that to happen to you, Gretch." Claire trailed off; her eyes were beginning to sting lightly.

Gretchen had begun biting her lip so hard, that she had accidentally drawn blood. Claire noticed this, concern written across her face now, "I won't let anyone harm you, I promise."

"Maybe…it's best I leave," she continued to bite at her lower lip, "I do not want to be a burden to you. You can't always protect me Claire, even if you wanted too."

If Claire had been holding back tears before, she could no longer do so now. Tears were beginning to cascade down the pretty blonde's face, and once more Gretchen felt like her heart was being constricted.

Without thinking, Gretchen pulled Claire in towards her chest and held her there, in an attempt to comfort her—and to comfort herself. She ran a hand through Claire's wavy blonde hair, and traced her fingers down her spine to come to a rest at the small of her back.  
She began tracing small circles with her fingers, and buried her face in her hair.

The scent of avocado hit Gretchen's nostrils quite powerfully, and she couldn't help but inhale the scent furthermore, feelings of elation rising to the surface now.

' _You smell wonderful Claire, and this feels so incredibly right. Does she even feel the same way?_'

After a moments silence, Claire finally spoke. "I don't want you to leave. When I'm with you I forget how abnormal I really am, and I feel…" she paused, uncertain of what to say, "I'm not sure, but I know it's good."

Claire broke away from Gretchen's tight embrace to face her directly now, and she reached out to brush a strand of brown hair away from her face. "I feel so selfish, wanting you to stay—after all it is your decision and your say on the matter. But I cannot change how I will feel, if you leave."

"What about how you feel _right now_? Does that not matter? What are we doing here right now—what is _this_?" Gretchen motioned at their close proximity.

She saw something pass over Claire's face, but she wasn't quite sure what to make of it—although she could tell she was thinking about something hard.  
"Gretch, I wish I was as certain about myself as you were…this is all so new to me, I'm scared I'm gonna mess this up," she pursed her lips together slightly, "the last thing I'd want is to lose you as a friend as well."

Claire leaned forward, and pressed her forehead to Gretchen's with eyes closed. Gretchen could feel Claire inhale and exhale, and she swore she could feel her heart beating rapidly.

For a moment, Gretchen felt all her troubles melt away. She forgot about her near death experience. She forgot about her seemingly unrequited feelings—all that mattered now was Claire Bennet.  
She wanted nothing more than to grab a hold of the girl, and press her lips to hers, but she knew better than to act so impulsively again.

The blonde girl she had become so fond of began to tremble ever so slightly. Was Claire cold? How could that be, it was almost like it was summer, and she felt anything but cold.

"Claire I think we should—" she could no longer speak, for Claire had pressed her lips upon hers, almost forcefully.

She could feel a sudden urgency in her kiss, and it caught her completely off guard. Bewildered for a second more, she finally felt the full effect of what Claire was doing to her.

She was _kissing_ her!

Gretchen pulled away, and stared back at the girl she had been waiting for so long, to kiss her in return. She grinned from ear to ear, and couldn't help but notice how flustered Claire was.  
Was this finally it? Did she really return her feelings? She wanted to make sure this wasn't something Claire felt obligated to do, out of pity.

"A-are you sure about this?" she spoke softly.

"Just kiss me," Claire demanded, with a mischievous grin on her face.

That was all Gretchen needed to hear, as she pulled Claire up against her body, and kissed her fervently. Her hands began to wander downwardly, as their kisses became more and more heated.

Claire wrapped an arm around Gretchen's neck, and began tugging on her ever so slightly, as to signal for her to lie atop of her. Gretchen complied without hesitation this time, and gently guided Claire's head to rest gently on the grass beneath them.

Gretchen now lay completely on top of her; she could feel the warmth of Claire's body beneath her, and it drove her mind insane. Not in a million years, had she ever envisioned this to come true—it was only meant to happen in her dreams.

Claire bit down on Gretchen's lip gently wanting to taste more of her, and was met with a groan in return. Her hands continued to explore Gretchen's curves, although her hands shyly came to a halt at her midriff.

Gretchen parted their lips, and examined Claire ever so briefly. She looked extremely nervous, which Gretchen narrowed down to the fact that Claire had possibly never been this intimate with anyone else before.

"It's okay Claire, no need to be so timid…we'll take this as slowly as you want," Gretchen whispered into her ear, and then very gently, lay small kisses against Claire's neck.

Claire let out a contented sigh, giving Gretchen approval of her actions, "I-I've never _done_ anything before, so I…oh god!" Her back arched, as Gretchen had found a sensitive spot to nibble at on her neck.

"Your innocence," Gretchen began between short nips of Claire's neck, "is simply adorable." She trailed her kisses back up her neck, and found her way to Claire's mouth once more.

Gretchen couldn't help but let out a small moan, as she felt Claire's tongue push at the entrance of her mouth. She allowed her tongue to slip in, and let the blonde explore her, gently grazing against her own tongue.

So many inappropriate thoughts flooded Gretchen's mind at that moment, and was pleased to discover that she wasn't the only one with her mind in the gutter. Claire propped herself up, still kissing Gretchen, and managed to claim dominance—now straddling her.

She felt Claire press as tightly as she could up against her, hesitant hands now trailing upwards to rest just below Gretchen's chest. Gretchen could feel a familiar warmth emanating down south now, and she knew she should probably stop before they both got too carried away…

"Gretch…I really like you," Claire murmured in her ear, and then laid her head upon her bosom, closing her eyes and smiled to herself.

Gretchen took a breath and attempted to calm down, but was finding it hard, as her heart began pounding even faster after hearing what Claire had just announced to her.  
She stroked Claire's hair, enjoying the moment they were sharing together, "I really like you too, Claire." As the words left her mouth, images of Becky attempting to strangle her flashed through her mind once more.

Claire met her eyes, and she could tell she felt frightened once more. She placed a gentle kiss against her lips, and then sat up straight, rearranging her tank top.

"I'll tell you what, I'll give my dad a call in the morning, and see what we can do about the Becky situation, hmm?" she was obviously trying to reassure her now—quite a strange transition from heavily making out only minutes before.

The girl of her dreams had just spent the last few hours with her, made out with her and admitted she has feelings for her; and was now offering support in an attempt to put her mind at ease. What more could she possibly want in a girl?  
Maybe Claire knew what she was doing, after all she has probably dealt with many situations very similar to this, before. Gretchen may have had more experience with relationships than Claire, but Claire had definitely had more experience with life-threatening situations—so maybe they balanced themselves out somehow?

Would it kill her to place some trust in the girl? Probably not.

"Okay Claire, we'll try it your way…I trust you a lot…but right now, I don't think I trust you enough to keep track of the time," she mocked her playfully, and watched as Claire fumbled in her pyjama bottoms to find her phone.

"Oh, it's four-thirty in the morning…maybe we _should_ head back up and attempt to sleep," she gave a sheepish grin, pulling herself off the ground and then extending a hand out to Gretchen.

Gretchen hesitated for a slight second, but only to admire the girl who towered over her. She would be the one whom she could confide in—to trust implicitly from here onwards. She took a hold of her hand, and was hoisted upwards on her feet—hands still clasped together; Gretchen didn't want to let go.


End file.
